IPL playoff scenarios explained after Lucknow Super Giants loss to Delhi Capitals: Five teams battle for two spots

With just six games remaining in the group stage of the IPL 2024, two teams have now secured of a spot in the IPL Playoffs: Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

There are as many as five teams who have a shot at qualifying for the IPL playoffs. Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are the three teams who cannot qualify for the IPL 2024 Playoffs anymore.

Here’s what each of the six teams will need to do to make it to the IPL Playoff:

What Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) must do to qualify for IPL playoffs

Played: 13, points: 12, NRR: -0.787 | Remaining matches: MI (a)

Lucknow has been on a slippery slope in the last few games and the loss against Delhi Capitals has made things near impossible for qualification. They face Mumbai Indians in the final game at Wankhede stadium in which even if they score 200 and beat the hosts by 100 runs it would still give them only the slightest chance to qualify for the next round. While there is a mathematical possibility in reality their chance is close to zero.

What Delhi Capitals (DC) must do to qualify for IPL playoffs

Played: 14, points: 14, NRR: -0.377

Delhi Capitals have finished all their games and with a win against LSG on Tuesday they have got themselves to 14 points and are now fifth in the table. DC’s best chance lies in SRH suffering significant defeats in their final two matches, CSK emerging victorious against RCB, and LSG winning no more than one game while maintaining a run rate below that of DC. Similar to LSG the negative runrate of Capitals might work against them.

What Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) must do to qualify for IPL playoffs

Played: 13, Points: 12, NRR: 0.387 | Remaining match: CSK (h)

RCB have one more match left, against Chennai Super Kings, and it’s a home match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on May 18. It’s a must-win match for RCB and even if they win, they will have to depend on the other results to go their way. They would need SRH to lose both and LSG to lose at least one of their two games. In any scenario, they would look to beat CSK (0.528) by a decent margin, which takes their net run rate higher than CSK’s. If the other results go their way, RCB stand a good chance of qualifying for the IPL Playoffs with a better Net Run Rate than CSK.

What Chennai Super Kings (CSK) must do to qualify for IPL playoffs

Played: 13, points: 14, NRR: 0.528 | Remaining match: RCB (a)

CSK have played 13 matches with 14 points and a Net Run Rate of 0.528. Their last match, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, is an away match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on May 18. CSK’s strong net run rate places them in a favourable position to secure a spot in the top four if they emerge victorious against RCB in their final match.

However, should they fail to win against RCB, their qualification hopes will depend on other results. They would need either SRH or LSG to lose one of their matches and finish below 16 points in the standings to boost their chances. Additionally, if CSK suffer a loss, they must ensure that their margin of defeat is minimal to maintain their advantage over RCB in terms of run rate. Furthermore, if both SRH and LSG finish with 14 or fewer points, it creates the possibility for both CSK and RCB to qualify with 14 points each.

What Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) must do to qualify for IPL playoffs

Played: 12, points: 14, NRR: 0.406 | Remaining matches: GT (h), PBKS (h)

SRH have two remaining matches, against Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings, both scheduled to be held at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on May 16 and 19. Despite their current standing, SRH will aim to secure victories in these matches to further solidify their position for the IPL playoffs. SRH’s superior run rate compared to LSG’s provides them with a considerable advantage, and securing just one win in their two remaining games should be sufficient to ensure their qualification for the IPL playoffs.

Two victories could potentially elevate them to contention for a top-two finish. However, if they were to lose both matches, their IPL playoff hopes could be jeopardized, as both CSK and RCB could leapfrog them in the standings based on Net Run Rate.

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